The sun laid low in sky, and Luna realized she would finally get her chance to speak with her sister.
Her personal assistant, Night Sky, approached the princess from the side. She flinched her slitted eyes as she walked in front of the beam of sunlight jutting out from the end of the hall.
“Princess Luna, what do you want me to do about the petition to sever your head and burn you on the stake?” asked Luna’s assistant. “It’s been introduced to a few of the nobles and was brought up today at the congressional meeting.”
“Hm…. Send some magicians to erase all of the signees’ memories. Also, erase all the mentionings of it in literature. I want it to be completely and utterly forgotten.”
“Alright Princess, will do!”
“Say, why do you think they wanted to sever my head and burn me on the stake? I can understand the severing of the head, you know, as a trophy as is custom. But burning on the stake?”
“It’s just a fad that came about earlier this year.” The assistant shrugged.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever understand these young ponies.”
Luna continued walking onward towards her sister’s chambers while the assistant walked down another hall.
The twilight was fresh and the sun was below the horizon.
Luna trotted up to the door of her sister’s room with the slightest hint of hesitation. On the surface, she understood that she had no real reason to believe that her sister would disapprove, but still….
She knocked two consecutive times with a hoof, as was proper.
“Yes, come in.”
Luna pushed open the door to find her sister laying on her bed, reading a purple book with a elegant, gold vignette on the backface. “Sister….”
“Yes, Luna? I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight,” Celestia noted with intrigue.
“I have... been thinking….” Luna said slowly. “Well… you see….”
“Spit it out, Luna. Tell me. I’m ready.”
“I have been feeling… lonely, lately. I wish to be in the company of another.”
“I understand, Luna. It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid of the opinions of others anymore.” Celestia gave an almost tearful smile.
“What?”
“Times have changed. Things that once seemed bizarre are now… accepted.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You no longer need to live in fear of the ridicule of others, Luna.”
“Wha—”
“So who is it?”
“Who is what? Who? What?”
“You know, the lucky mare!”
“Wh—”
“Is it Twilight?!” Celestia’s eyes grew wide as she asked forcefully. “We’ve all seen the way she looks at you, Luna!”
“Sist—”
“Oh, no, don’t tell me! I want to keep it a surprise.” Celestia grinned.
“Uhm…. Alright.” Luna swallowed. “I wanted to tell you that….” She paused and looked around the room. “I want to have…. a pet of my own.”
“A? pet? Of your? Own?”
“What?”
“What?” Celestia asked back.
“Why did you say it like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“You made every word a question.”
“?” Celestia replied.
“What?”
“What?”
“Why did you just say ‘question mark’?”
“What are you talking about, Luna?”
Luna opened her mouth as if to say something, but looked around the room again in confusion. She stretched her jaw. “Anyway, sister, I wish to get a pet. You have a phoenix, the incarnate of fire, light, and thereby warmth; all of which are symbols of the sun. I, on the other hand, am the Princess of the Moon, the dark, and thereby.... the cold.”
“Luna, Philomena’s not my pet!”
Philomena cawed, mocking a hawk, from her perch near Celestia’s desk.
“Well, I suppose she can be quite wise—”
“Philomena is my lover.”
The phoenix burned brightly.
“Wha—”
“Oh, I suppose you want to know about all of the steamy details.”
“No, sister, I really don’t!” Luna yelled, blushing while scowling.
“Oh…. I’ll just tell you some other time.”
“No…. What? Sister, why?” Luna mumbled, shaking her head. “Regardless, the moon and the night are representative of the lack of the aforementioned principles: in essence, the cold and the dark.”
“We just say ‘i.e.’ now, Luna.”
“As I was saying! These are the traits of another notorious…. somewhat astral being: the windigo.”
“A windigo? That’s racey, Luna, I wasn’t aware you were into that!”
“No comment.”
“Fine, be that way.”
“I know they can be wild creatures…. But I once met a gentle and kind windigo. I know they exist.”
Celestia simply stared at her sister with a warm look on her face.
Luna sighed. “Well, in any case, I guess I’ll go… get a windigo….”
“Alright,” Celestia replied nonchalantly.
“I’ll do that… right now….”
Celestia nodded her head once.
“Yeah….” Luna pursed her lips, and looked around the room and nodding. “Mhm.”
Luna stood in place, ruffling her feathers. She glanced back at her sister every so often.
Celestia looked down at her hooves and nuzzled her foreleg, trying to soothe an itch.
“Is there something else you wanted?”
“Where do windigos live?”
“All the windigos are dead.”
Luna raised a hoof as if to protest, but squinted when she realized she couldn’t object to extinction. “Oh.” Luna looked down and frowned. “Okay… then…. I’ll be going now.”
Luna stood still in the doorway and rotated her head. “Sister…. are you sure?”
“I’m afraid so…. A windigo hasn’t been spotted since not long after the unification of the pony tribes. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, there is no need to be sorry…. Goodnight…” Luna sighed.
“Goodnight.”
Luna seems saddened at this…. Maybe I can make it up to her? She thought, a grin creeping onto her face.
“What are you smiling about?” Luna asked as she was about to close the door with her magic.
“I was just thinking about what me and Philomena are going to do tonight.”
“Okay, goodnight, sister!” With that, Luna teleported out of the room.
Celestia’s smile faded as her sister left. How can I make it up to her? She had herself so pumped up for a windigo.
So what do I do?
“Any suggestions, Philomena?”
“Squawk?”
“You know, about Luna…. You are wise, Philomena, indeed. But I’m not sure that’s what Luna needs—or wants, for that matter.
“Everything she knew was taken away from her and she was thrown into a time that seems strange. I cannot say that I understand what that’s like.
“I’m sure this is just her way expressing her loneliness. She wants to cherish the time she spends with someone, however she finds it hard with all flack she gets because of what happened in the past. She just wants someone that won’t judge her.
“I need to help my sister now. If she wants a windigo, I’ll get her a windigo!
“The question is: how? There hasn’t been a windigo spotting in so long!”
“Squawk,” Philomena offered. “Squawk?” She raised her wings in a shrug. “Squawk.”
“Philomena, you’re a genius. I think you deserve a present….”
“Caw!”
“Oh, oh, but later!” Celestia squinted hard and bit her bottom lip, holding back her urges.
“I’ll get started on it right away!”